I appreciate everyones insight and comments. It might take me awhile but im going to respond to everyone. Brett yes i did get to speak with other drivers and no I was not being singled out freight was slow for a few weeks and still semi slow. I spoke to other drivers as well as many a upper management. However, like I explained to them. If you have a driver that you know is upset having them sit 24 hrs here or there is only giving them ample time to search for other eemployment and further upsetting them. Ive been around awhile I know things get slow. Its just a fact of trucking but i dont think me wanting to avg. 2500 miles a week is too much to ask. I unlike alot of drivers love the OTR lifestyle and truly feel "alive" when im rolling down the highway. Sitting at a truck stop for long time periods truly depresses me. I need to stay rolling. Im out usually 4 to 5 week's and no i dont do 34 hr resets otr because its too much sitting. Also do yall know how many strange looks i get when im at a truck stop too long?

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Larry I totally want to make this clear I really dont think rookies or experienced drivers should be combatative nor feel like they have the right to call the shots. Not unless your prepared to deal with the cconcequencces. Im in a unique position. From day one ive generally been liked and accepted by office staff and drivers alike. I work really hard on the formulation of all of my professional relationships. While most drivers deal with their DM and that's it I go and sit down and chat with everyone from the owner to the VP to recruiting to customer support. Why you ask? Because one day I will move back into the corporate world and the formulation of relationships is super important there. 2 i generally like most everyone at my company. I do not however take that for granted nor feel like im owed special privelages because of it Pat truly hit the nail on the head. I really dont think that she thought i would say ok. That being said I had all bases covered. I have plenty of money in the bank. I had another company willing to put me in a hotel paid for 4 days until oreintation began and my ex trainer lives 5 miles from our terminal and was willing to come and help me clean out my truck. Whether i stayed or went was irrelevant. I had all my bases covered. I truly do enjoy my company but sometimes i have a tendency to let my emotions overshadow the facts. I can like ppl just fine but at the end of the day the name of the game is money. You dont sacrifice all that time away from your family to bring home a "mcdonalds" paycheck.

Here's the big thing I am taking away from this (Experienced drivers, please chime in if you see issues):

- Being recognized as a top 10% driver in your company two years in a row affords you the ability to question issues and get results. I get Old School's message: Try this as a newbie and your miles dry up and you are out looking for another job.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Hey Jopa thats the problem. Too much rest! Lol Hopefully you get up and running soon.

Hey RedGator, Jopa here ... I know you will land on your feet cause you always do ... be interesting to see what happens so me and a bunch of people will be following your thread to get the latest ... hang in there and have faith it will work out the best way it can ... meanwhile, get some needed rest, eh? Talk to you soon ...

I rarely ever. I prefer to let things resolve themselves if I can. Too many whiny complainy folks in this industry already. But every now and again i will express myself. Like I tell them though this job is like a marriage you can only take it to counseling before you get a divorce lol

Squeeky wheel gets the oil. If you dont squeek you might not get the oil. So go ahead and squeek!

Thanks Fatsquach. Unfortunately my living area is a blessing and a curse. So many folks want me NE Regional and I hate driving the NE. That was one of the other issues i was having with my company coming out of the house they always wanted me to get on those short LTL runs which is one of the reasons my miles were dropping.

You're really in kind of a uniquely advantageous position. You're a proven top-tier driver, you have a track record of longevity with your company, and you live in a major freight lane. It's not surprising that companies would be falling all over themselves trying to recruit you as soon as you cast the line out there. Nor is it surprising that some of the top brass would be falling all over themselves trying to get you to stay. In the end, though, sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side, and the only one who can decide what's best for you is you. Whatever decision you ultimately make, I'm sure it will be well thought-out and one that you're both comfortable with and confident in.

Good luck!

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

LTL:

Less Than Truckload

Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.

LTL carriers include:

FedEx Freight

Con-way

YRC Freight

UPS

Old Dominion

Estes

Yellow-Roadway

ABF Freight

R+L Carrier

HOS:

Hours Of Service

Let me preface these remarks by saying that I think Red Gator is one tough trucking girl who has proven her worth to the folks at WEL time and time again. She's a runner who has always made it happen out there, and then she proved herself again as an awesome female trainer.

But... when you've had the same driver manager for 2.5 years and been doing great with them and you get a response like this from them there is usually more to the story.

So I did what i never do and commited a NO to it. When my DM called to ask me why I explained my frustration as to the past weeks events.......that was greated with the following response "Take the load or I can route you to the yard to clean out your truck"

Jetguy responded with this:

Sometimes you got to stick to your guns- like you did in order to get the miles

I do not claim to know what's going on over at WEL, but I do know that we as drivers some time just have a small picture of the inner workings at the trucking companies we work for. It makes no sense for us to assume that a perfectly great dispatcher has suddenly gone bad. I'm in no way saying Red is doing something wrong. But she herself used the words "burned out" in her post. She's been hitting it hard for a long time now, maybe she needs to take a break and re-assess what she wants out of this, and how to make that happen. Here is one thing I do know about this career, you don't get more miles by being demanding and threatening to leave. Sticking to your guns isn't the formula for success in trucking. Proving yourself day in and day out and continuing to do just that when your miles are down is how you get past a slow period.

Here's a tip for any newbies looking into this career. When things slow down a little make the most of it. I take the time to do something I want to do for myself. I might rent a car and act like a tourist for a few days, or take in a movie or enjoy a visit to a really nice restaurant. Go to a sporting event that interest you. The last thing you want to do is sit there in your truck and stew over how badly you are being treated. This will lead to nowhere but a different trucking job, and Lord knows there are the same kind of problems no matter which trucking company you go to.

Think ahead when you are a truck driver - recognize that slow times are going to happen, we can't all run 3,200 miles every week. Take some of that good money you are making during those busy times and rat hole it away into some kind of a savings that you can dig into if you have to when times are slow. I enjoy running real hard, but when it lightens up I try to make the most of it. The one constant in this job is change, and if Red cools down a little she will soon realize that the miles are back on her. Why did it slow down? I don't know. But this I do know, the time where she can barely keep up with what they are giving her will be back.

I have found getting up in a dm butt to let them know ur not happy tends to help I got in mine this morning guess wat I got longest run of them all for us in Delaware yaaa! Closed mouth don't get fed. Good for her.

Dispatcher:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

Driver Manager:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Well Hello again all:-) I figured I would give a quick update. This post was originally written while I was on hometime. Ive been out of the house a week now and Im sad to say that Im not impressed and getting more frustrated by the day. Its sad as Im usually the one to find the silver lining in any situation Im struggling with this one here. I came out if the house last Tuesday 5/12. I was ready and available at the truck by 8am. By 10 still no load so I emailed my DM. He was out sick on Mon and the fill in forgot to send it to me. Load picked 100 miles away on 5/13 @11am. 27 hours after I was due out of the house..........Bad start. By 12:45pm I get an emergency text asking if I can be 90 miles away to pick up a ld by 1500. So I roll. Delivers 5/14 4am-12pm. 736 miles away. I make it and dock 5/13 @3:30pm at Panama Banana in Chicago. By 10 am the next day Im unloaded with no plan. By 11:30am 5/14 im frustrated, in need of a shower and coffee so DM suggest to head to a TS. When im pulling out of the receiver Im told to head 85 miles to Rochelle, IL to pick a ready load up. Cant get all the details as im rolling but when i arrive its going 632 miles for 5/16 18:30 delivery at Walmart in Clarksville, AR. 3 full days on 632 miles...........Load is in need of a rework as well. 2180 over on the tandums so I get reworked still with plenty of time to even put my truck in the shop (minor thing) and still sit over 20 hours in a TS and make an ontime delivery *sigh*. Next load is a d/h sceheduled to pickup no later than 5/16 @18:33 112 miles away 3 min after my live unload is scheduled. *sigh* Delivery scheduled 5/18 @2:00am in Newport, MI 832 miles away but CS is working a reschedule as that isnt going to work. Monday still no reschedule so I call receiver who tells me they cant take me as i won't be there til 13:45 and they leave at 1400. *sigh* So my total miles out of the house turned in for Mon by 1600 is 1510 *sigh* Reschedule is for 5/19 @4:00. New plan: 156 mile DH to pick up in Paw Paw, MI by 5/18 by 23:59, 2stops 5/19@2:00 and 5/19@11:00am total miles 321. Obviously I cant load if im not delivered yet so appts have to be rescheduled........5/20@2:00am and 5/21@6:15am...............*double sigh*..............Its not looking good folks. Ill keep you posted. I have until 6/11 when I go for hometime......

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

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